Method of knitting and the product thereof



H. POPE, JR

`METHOD OF KNITTING AND THE PRODUCT THEREOF Filed Dec. 24, 1952 Jain. 140, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet l D. um w M M Z n .j www WW @A ,1. m@ w m, n m

Jan. l0, 1956 H. POPE, JR 2,729,957

THoD @DUCT THEREOF United States Patent() f 2,729,957 METHOD F KNITTING AND THE PRODUCT 'I'HEREOF Henry Pope, Jr., Glencoe, Ill., assignor, by mesne assignments, to The Davis Company, Chattanooga, Tenn., a corporation of Maryland Application December 24, 1,952, Serial No. 327,864.3` 6 Claims. (Cl. 66-172) This invention relates to improvements in hosieryand in methods of knitting and its purpose is to provide improved elastic top hosiery produced in a novel manner.

Elastic top hosiery is commonlyproduced in the form of mens half hose having an elastic yarn or thread laid in around the topin spaced courses of the knitted inelastic yarn to provide an elastic selvage edge and an elastic top portion adapted to adhere to the leg of the wearer. Although usually produced as a plain knit fabric, hosiery of this type has a rib-lke formation at the top due to the contraction of the elastic yarn. Elastic top stockings of this type have been unsatisfactory in that the selvage edge including the rst course of elastic yarn tends to roll outwardly and downwardly so that the stocking has an objectionable rolled edge. Further, it has been found that when knitting such hosiery on circular knitting machines, any tendency for the `occurrence of missed stitches usually occurs in the first course where the elastic yarn is laid in to provide the selvage edge so that the rst course of rubber or other elastic is sometimes not properly interlocked with the inelastic yarn in this course.

It has been discovered that the above mentioned difficulties may be overcome by knitting one or more courses at the top of the stocking with the use of yarn formed of vegetable fibre or the like which is capable of `being dissolved, and then knitting subsequent courses with a cotton yarn or the like while laying in the inelastic yarn in the usual fashion, following which the yarn in the first course or courses is dissolved, leaving an elastic selvage edge. A yarn which is suitable for knitting the `initial course or courses is that known as alignate" which is a hydrophyllic vegetable colloid extracted from sea kelp and having the property of being solublein wateror alkaline solutions. By this improved method a stocking is produced having a smooth selvage` edge which lies at against the leg of the wearer without rolling and which is free of objectionable missed stitches. These and other objects and advantages of the invention will appear more fully hereinafter.

The nature of the inventionwill be understood from the following specification taken with the accompanying drawings in which two forms of the improved method of knitting and two examples of the product thereof are illustrated. In the drawings,

Figure 1 shows a development of a part of the knitting wave and cams of a circular knitting machine of the Scott & Williams type which may be used in carrying out the improved method of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a somewhat diagrammatic top plan view of the.` structure shown in Fig. 1, showing the manner in which the various yarns are fed to the needles;

Fig. 3 shows an enlarged elevation of a portion of fthe knitted fabric at the top of a stocking made according to the present invention with the use of knitting apparatus such as that illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2;

Fig. 4 shows an elevation on an enlarged scale of a portion of fabric knitted by a modified method of the 2,729,957 Patented `Ilan. 10, 1956 present invention and illustrating the relation of the active and inactive needles to the loops of the initial knitting courses;

Fig. 5 shows a portion of the endless series of latch needles employed in producing the fabric shown in Fig. l, illustrating the engagement of the yarn with all of the needles in knitting the lirst course;

Fig. 6 shows the condition when some of the yarn loops shown in Fig. 5 have been removed from the hooks of the needles prior to placing a new yam for the second course in these hooks; and

Fig. 7 shows the subsequent relation of the yarn to the needle hooks during the knitting of the second course.

The apparatus illustrated in Figs. l and 2 for producing the fabric shown in Fig. 3 is substantially like that shown and described in United States Letters Patent of James T. Getaz, No. 2,054,217, dated September l5, 1936, except that provision is made for handling a greater number of yarns. In the use of this apparatus according to the present invention one or more of the initial courses, preferably two courses, are formed from two alginate yarns, one yarn 10 being knitted while the other yarn 11 is laid into the loops of the knitted fabric, as shown in Fig. 3. After two courses a yarn 12 of cotton, wool or the like is introduced into the knitting operation in place of the yarn 10 and an elastic yarn 13 formed largely or wholly of rubber or the like, is dropped into the loops in place of the other alginate yarn 11. Thereafter, the knitting is continued with the yarns 12 and 13 until an elastic top of the desired extent is obtained, whereupon the elastic yarn 13 is discontinued and the plain knitting is continued with the yarn 12 of cotton, wool or the like until the stocking is completed. Then, the initial courses made up of the alginate yarns 10 and 11 are dissolved, as hereinafter more fully described, leaving the nished stocking with an elastic yarn 13 around. its top edge.

In carrying out the invention in the manner just described, the alginate yarn 11, which is to be threaded through the loops of the first course formed by the alginate yarn 10, is introduced into the machine at a point sufficiently in advance 'of the knitting wave to allow the yarn to be interlaced in front of jackless needles 15 and behind alternate needles 16 having jacks, as well as below the latches of the needles 15. In the same revolution of the needle cylinder during which the yarn 11 is interlaced between the needles, the other alginate yarn 10 is introduced into the hooks of all of the needles after the yarn 11 has been interlaced. The two yarns 10 and 11 thus come to the knocking-over point 17 with the yarn 11 behind one needle and below the latch 'of the next, while the looping yarn 10 lies in the hooks of all of the needles. After passing the knocking-over point 17, the yarn 11 is free of all of the needles. The successive loops of the yarn 10 extend on opposite sides of the yarn 11 which is thus secured. After two courses have been knitted in this fashion with the alginate yarns 10 and 11, the yarn 12 of cotton, wool or the like is brought into the knitting operation to replace the yarn 10 and the elastic yarn 13 replaces the alginate yarn 11, being preferably arranged to overlap the alginate yarn 11 at the beginning of the third course as shown in Fig. 3. In knitting with the yarns 12 and 13 the same procedure is followed as when knitting with the yarns 10 and 11, the elastic yarn 13 being introduced in advance of the knitting point and interlaced with the needles as when employing the yarn 11. The knitting then continues with the yarns 12 and 13.

The alginate yarn 11 is preferably fed by means of a yarn linger 18 pivoted on a post 19 extending upwardly from the base 20 of the knitting machine. Thisl arm moves into operative relationship to the needles 15 and 16 in a horizontal plane slightly above the sinker cap.

The end of the linger 18 vapplies the yarn 11 at a point 01.1 the needle circle which is immediately following the crest of the cam 22 which raises the jacks 23 under alternate needles 16 as the needle cylinder rotates in the direction of the arrow 24. The alginateyarn 11 is thus laid against the shanks of the needles 16 and the finger 18 is so 1ocated that the latches of these needles are raised above the yarn so that the yarn 11 is laid in and not knitted in. After the yarn 11 is laid against the raised needles 16,

the jackless needles 15 rise on the stitch cam 25 and inter.

lace the yarn 11 by passing in front of it. All of .the needles then reach the draw-down cam 26 `at vthe `same level. Thus, the interlacing of the yarn 11 is effected without disturbing the normal knitting wave. The elastic yarn 13 is also fed to the needles by ainge 27 pivoted on the post 19 and actuated in the usual man- `ner when -the linger is .not in use. When either feeding linger 18 or 27 is not 'in use itV may be swung to an `inactive position, shown by ydotted lines in Fig. 2, and the yarn fed thereby may be held by a combined cutter and clamp 28. The yarns V10 andl 12 which are looped by the needles in the knitting operation are fed by the usual lingers 29 and 30 mounted on the 'throat plate 21 in advance of the knocking-over point v17. The feeding .of the alginate yarn 11 by the arm 18 `should start slightly in `advance of the feeding of the .alginate yarn 1.0 in the throat plate by the arm 29. Also, the feeding ofthe elastic yarn 13 tothe needles by the arm 27 should take .place slightly in .advance of the feeding of .the yarn 12 to the throat plate by the finger 30. The yarns from anyI of these arms may be cut `olf and the yarn Aclamped while the arm is inactive. y

' Instead of -following ,the procedure vexplained above, the preliminary courses vmade up of alginate yarn may 'be 'formed by other known methods `such as that disclosed in United States Letters Patent of Robert W. Scott, No. 1,148,056, dated July 27, 1915, after which an elastic `yarn Vand .a yarn formed of cotton, wool or the like, .may be substituted and knitted as above described. This modication is illustrated in Figs. 4, 5, -6 and 7 of the drawings which show diagrammatically some of the needles of a circular knitting machine, .these needles being identi- .tied lby the -numbers .31, 32, 33,34, v35, 36, 37, 38, .39, 40 and y41. The initial :course 43 of alginate yarn is laid in the hooks of .all lof the needles as shown in Fig. with the lyarn preferably overlapped between some of the needles, for example, between the needles 35 and 39.

'The initial course y43 is then enveloped by the loops of the next-course 44 of the same alginate yarn. These .loops of the next :course Ypass recurrently in front of and behind the yarn of the iirst course and, for this purpose, the bights l43a of .the yarn are removed from the .hooks 'of fa'ltemate needles, prior to placing the yarn of course 44 von the hooks, the -bights 43a Lbeing `cast olf behind the needles on which they are formed, :as shown in Fig. 6. 'The secondcoursemay then be formed, beginning 'at any point on the series of needles, .such as `the point 46, by

Vfeeding the -yarn ytothe :hooks of the needles then located alternately in front of and behind the yarn of the initial course 43 and subsequently casting off the loops 44a .of the yarn 4ofithe second course, as shown `in Fig. 7. Each `of `the-needles fthen retains :in its hook either a loop y44a or a lbightldb of the yarn of .the .second course, as s et forth'in said Scott :Letters Patent` After the second `course '44 of the lalginate yarn `is formed in the Amanner just .referred to, another ycourse 45 vis knitted in fthe usual manner, using all of the needles,

uand thereafter the succeeding :courses are knitted with a vmethod Vdescribed above luntil an lelastic top portion `v,of lthe desired .extent has been formed, `after which the knitting 'ofthe stockngcontinues with the yarn 47 alone.

Whatever knitting procedure is followed in forming the initial course or courses of alginate yarn, the knitted alginate yarn is then removed by dissolving it, thereby leaving the elastic top with a selvage edge bounded by an elastic yarn or thread. Although alginate yarn, technically known as calcium alginate rayon, may be dissolved with water, its dissolution may be more quickly andV perfectly eected by an alkaline solution such as sodium carbonate or sodium hexametaphosphate or tetra sodium pyrophosphate. The viscosity of alginate solutions is reduced in .the presence of sodium chloride (common salt) .and it is preferable .to :add `a quantity of `salt to the solution.

The dissolution of the alginate libre in the knitted stocking is preferably carried out by adding the separating or dissolving agent during the wetting process immediately before the dyeing of the hosiery.

It has been found that to remove alginate in the presence of wool it is ,desirable to use substantially the folvlowingproportions by weight:

pounds of hosiery or other fabric 2,000 pounds of water 15 pounds of common salt 7.5 pounds of tetra sodium pyrophosphate The' mixture 4is agitated gently for a period of from l5 to 30 minutes with the .solution at a temperature of about Fahrenheit.

When Athere lis not wool lpresent in the hosiery, `the alginate may be `more cheaply removed by using la .dissolving solution made up according tothe following proportions:

100 pounds of `knitted hosiery or fabric 2,000 pounds of -water 4 pounds of Vsoda-ash This mixture .is .agitated gently for a period o f Afifteen minutes.

In either of the -examples just referred to other alkalies may be substituted for those mentioned. s

Although certain ,examples of the improved method .and of the improved product have been disclosed by way of .illustration of the present invention, Vit will be understood that the invention may Ybe formed and practiced in .various .ways without departing from the scope of the appended claims. `In the claims, the term body yarn may be interpreted to include yarns formed `of cotton, wool, nylon yor other fibres l claim: i v t 1. A stocking comprising a top having a course knitted with alginate yarn only and adjacent said course other courses knitted with a body yarn and an elastic yarn laid in the loops of said body yarn.

2. A stocking comprising `'a knitted course of alginate yarn only and having ra 'separatealginate yarn laid in the loops of'said course, kand adjacent ,said course la pluralityof `courses of body yarn `having elastic yarn laid in the loops thereof.

3. The method of knitting a stocking top which comprises the ysteps of forming( a selvage edge from a yarn capable of being dissolved, then kniting succeeding courses .of the stocking top `from a body yarn, and then dissolving said rst named yarn. t

4. The method of `knitting a lstocking top which .com-

prises the steps of knitting "a selvage edge from a yarn capable of being dissolved, then "knitting succeeding coursesof the lstocking top from a body yarn, and laying an elastic yarn in the loops of said body yarn.

5.V The ,method of knitting a stocking'top which comprises `the steps of 'knitting a `selvage edge from .a yarn capable .of being dissolved, then knitting succeeding courses .of `theV stocking top f roma body yarn, laying an :elastic in the loopsofsaid body yarn, and then dissolving said rstnarned yarn.

6. The method vof knittinga stocking top whichcomprises the steps' ofknitting atop course with alginate yarn, laying a second alginate yarn in the loops of said course,

then knitting succeeding courses of body yarn, laying an elastic yarn in the loops of at least one of said last named courses, and then dissolving said alginate yarn.

References Cited in the iile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 6 Meade Oct. 26, 1943 Getaz Mar. 14, 1944 Speakman et al Oct. 15, 1946 Larkin May 20, 1947 Johnson Feb. 3, 1948 Johnson Apr. 8, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain Nov. 12, 1948 

